About
- Stress and anxiety
- DBT skills
- Sexual boundaries
About Kara
Kara Kocmick is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) practicing in Minnesota with seven years of clinical experience. She helps people who are managing stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and family concerns, parenting strain, sexual and intimacy issues, and grief. She also works with people facing trauma and abuse, body image and eating concerns, and identity questions related to LGBT matters and gender dysphoria.
Kara uses straightforward conversation and active listening to help people notice patterns that get in the way of daily life. She often looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors connect, and then works with people to test different ways of responding. Sessions are practical and focused on small, usable changes rather than abstract theories.
Her approach draws on client-centered methods to follow what the person brings to the session. She integrates cognitive behavioral techniques to identify unhelpful thinking and behavioral steps to shift routine responses. She also pulls from dialectical behavior therapy skills and mindfulness practices to support emotion regulation and distress tolerance.
Kara pays attention to sexual expression and relationship boundaries, including work with kink and alternative sex cultures when those topics come up. She helps people explore consent, communication, and safer negotiation of needs without pathologizing sexual interests.
People who meet with Kara can expect clear, practical tools and short-term goals alongside deeper reflection when needed. She frames change as a collaboration and helps people find actions that fit their life and values.
How sessions work
How her therapeutic approaches apply to online sessions
Client-centered therapy focuses on following the person’s concerns and priorities. In practice this means the therapist listens closely and adapts session pace and topics to what the client brings up. It helps with relationship strain, parenting stress, and decisions about intimacy.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at how thoughts affect feelings and behaviors. Online CBT sessions use structured conversations and simple homework to test new ways of thinking and behaving. This approach is useful for anxiety, depression, and sleep or eating concerns.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, DBT, provides concrete skills for handling intense emotions and improving interpersonal effectiveness. Typical DBT work includes skills training in distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and clearer communication. Those skills fit many issues such as anger, impulse control, and relationship conflict.
Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with the client to decide which methods to use, based on goals, preferences, and what’s helping or not helping in daily life.
Confirm the current online session options before booking, since specific formats are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy around parenting, work, and caregiving responsibilities, or allow shorter check-ins when time is limited.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
7+ years
Listed in
Minnesota
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and family concerns, parenting, intimacy and sexuality, grief, trauma, body image, and related issues.
How does she approach therapy?
Her style is client-centered and practical. She uses CBT to address unhelpful thinking, DBT skills for emotion regulation, and mindfulness to improve present-moment awareness.
How much experience does she have?
She has seven years of clinical experience working with people who struggle with relationships, emotions, and life transitions.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is a LICSW, licensed in Minnesota, and practices from that state.
Do sessions take place in other languages or internationally?
Sessions are offered in English. She does not accept international clients.
What session formats are offered?
Please confirm current session options before booking, as formats are not specified here.
How are fees handled?
Cost varies with location. Sessions are provided through a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.